Bureau launches scheme to lure US tourists in Hawaii

TROPIC OF CANCER:：The Tourism Bureau is, for the first time ever, promoting the nation as a summer destination that offers a wide variety of attractions

Staff writer, with CNA, LOS ANGELES

Fri, May 24, 2013 - Page 3

The Tourism Bureau on Wednesday launched a campaign in Hawaii to promote the country’s summer landscape, particularly around the Tropic of Cancer, which bisects the island.

Taiwan, like Hawaii, is one of 16 countries in the world bisected by the Tropic of Cancer at latitude 23.5° north, the bureau said, adding that it was the reason why it chose Hawaii to launch the campaign to encourage US tourists to visit Taiwan.

This year marks the first time Taiwan has tried to boost its international visibility as a summer destination, the bureau said.

The campaign’s theme is “Taiwan Fun on the Topic of Cancer,” the bureau said, adding that because of its location, Taiwan has a tropical and sub-tropical climate, and it offers a wide variety of cultural and scenic attractions.

Lin Hsin-jen (林信任), section chief of the bureau’s representative office in Los Angeles, said that during the summer, several places in the vicinity of the Tropic of Cancer in Taiwan would host a series of activities catering to tourists, such as canoeing in Penghu, sailing in Chiayi, a marathon to scale Alishan (阿里山), mountain climbing on Yushan (玉山) — the country’s highest peak — and rafting in Hualien.